My Dearest Emperor
by Ichibiluva
Summary: As a girl, Makino had always dreamed of the man who would one day sweep her off her feet. Never did she imagine he would come in the form of a red-haired, party-loving Emperor Shanks.


**A/N: I'm a huge fan of this pairing, so I thought I'd write a fic to satisfy my creative urges! This story assumes that Shanks will survive the final clash with Blackbeard, and will make his journey full circle back to Foosha Village. Enjoy!**

It was midday in Foosha Village. The townspeople went about their business peacefully as seabirds cried out in the sky. Makino sat in the dirt with a small group of girls, chattering and laughing excitedly.

"…Blonde hair, and a white horse! I'd love to marry a handsome prince one day!" The topic turned to the issue of the girls' ideal future husbands, and the other girls clapped their hands and cheered in agreement.

"Oh wouldn't it be nice to marry one of those nobles from the city," swooned the girl next to Makino. "Then I could escape this boring place and live a wonderful life! Great food, pretty dresses, and balls at the royal palace too!"

Makino nodded along with her peers, but inwardly scoffed at the idea. She had never understood the other girls' fascination with the city just over the mountains. The idea of having to wear long, flouncing skirts day after day, and the sight of the women's caked makeup did nothing to arouse her interest, and Makino found herself yearning for something more.

"What about you, Makino? What kind of boy would you like to marry?" All eyes were on her now, and the child took a deep breath.

"Well…" Makino hesitated slightly before speaking. "I guess I'd like to marry someone strong and cool. He doesn't have to be rich or anything, but he has to be funny and interesting, and have a smile like the sun."

"Huh? Just that? That's so weird…" Makino shrugged and her friends continued gushing over the Goa Kingdom nobles once again.

 _Honestly, I don't really mind, just as long as he's a good person._

* * *

Standing at the pier, holding the boy Luffy by his shoulders, Makino smiled at the redheaded captain as his ship set sail. The child's small body shook with sobs and he pulled his newly-acquired straw hat over his eyes in a childish attempt to hide his tears. The citizens of Foosha Village waved and cheered from the docks, a gesture much more suited to farewelling old friends, rather than a ragtag bunch of pirates. One year, and the pirates had left as suddenly as they'd come. Their captain glanced up, his eyes meeting Makino's, and he smiled. Immediately, she felt her cheeks redden at the sight of his cheerful grin, but she brushed off the emotion violently. She was barely out of her teens, and the man was a pirate, bound for adventures on the mysterious and perilous Grand Line. Such hellish seas were no place for her, and she would likely never see him again. Yet she couldn't help but feel warmth blossom in her chest from being the object of such a genuine, heartfelt smile.

 _His smile is so warm… He exudes comfort and strength, just like the sun._

Shanks had come back from the ocean at sunset the day before, soaked to the bone and bearing a tearful Luffy. Makino had gasped and covered her mouth at the sight of his missing arm; a ragged, bleeding stump was all that remained. Immediately, she dashed into the bar, returning with ointments and bandages while his crewmates consoled Luffy and distracted him with funny faces and jokes. Taking a seat on a barstool, Shanks allowed her to tend to his injuries, maintaining a serene expression on his handsome face. Makino felt overwhelmed by gratitude; part of her had thought that Luffy was gone forever, but she was unsure of what to say. As if he had read her mind, Shanks patted her on the shoulder with his good arm.

"It's only an arm. Nothing to really be worried about."

"But Captain!" Makino blurted out. "You got hurt! Will you be alright sailing in the Grand Line like that?"

Shanks chuckled. "Thanks for your concern, Makino-san, but I'll be fine. Luffy is safe, and that's all that matters."

"But…" Makino's voice trailed off uncertainly.

"It's fine. An arm, I can lose, but if I'd lost Luffy, I'd feel a lot worse."

Makino stared at him, her eyes round and wondrous. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, so touched was she by his selflessness, but Shanks seemed to sense this and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Now, now, Makino-san, don't cry. Can you promise me one thing though?"

She nodded without hesitation.

"Take care of Luffy for me. I know how hard it's going to be for him, considering everything you told him."

 _Even at a time like this, he's still thinking about others._ Makino sniffled, but agreed to his request. As Shanks rose and prepared to leave, she called out to him.

"Captain! Thank you for everything, I'll never forget you!"

"Just Shanks will do, Makino-san. I hope we meet again."

* * *

A few weeks after the incident, Garp came storming into the Party Bar, plopping himself on a barstool gracelessly. Wordlessly, Makino poured him a drink, but he sat there without touching it, fuming silently. Just as she turned away to polish her wine glasses, the old man suddenly roared,

"Damn that Red-Hair! Just who does he think he is!? I go away for a few months, and now Luffy's spouting all this nonsense about becoming the Pirate King! Pirate King, my ass! He's going to become the strongest Marine ever!"

"Garp-san? You know about the Captain?" Makino cautiously inquired.

"How could I not! That was Red-Haired Shanks, one of the most powerful pirates on the seas! He's so strong that he clashes evenly with the World's Greatest Swordsman! We at Marine HQ would do almost anything to get our hands on that scoundrel!"

"The Captain is…a legendary pirate?" Makino could hardly believe her ears. The happy-go-lucky, cheerful pirate captain, who had gotten on his knees to help her clean up spilled alcohol, a world-renowned outlaw? Suddenly, she began to see his casual demeanour and carefree smile in a different light. She remembered how the captain would provoke and tease Luffy, a seven-year-old boy, and order his men to help the townspeople if they needed it. It spoke volumes as to his character and goodness, that someone so powerful would deliberately lower himself and associate with common people like them.

 _He said he wanted to see me again_. Makino could not stop a bashful smile from creeping onto her face.

"Eh? There something funny you wanted to share, Makino?"

"Oh no, not at all."

* * *

Years passed by in a blur, and Makino kept an eye on the news for word of her red-haired captain. His name would appear on the front page occasionally, accompanied by the label of 'Emperor'. Losing an arm had not slowed him down one bit, and Shanks grew in notoriety, as did his territories and list of allies. Unlike other crews, the Red Haired Pirates were known for being relatively peaceful. They did not attack others unprovoked, and did not contest the other three Emperors' territory, content to patrol the islands they had. Their captain, the youngest Emperor by far, was not warlike or savage, and was strictly opposed to civilian casualties. Every time Makino saw his face on the front page, or noticed his bounty rise, she felt her heart swell a little with pride. Years passed, and Makino felt herself settled contentedly into a routine, running her bar and fending off suitors from the village and passing travellers. Yet this peace was not to last, and one day, everything changed.

They called it the 'War of the Best', an epic conflict that resulted in the deaths of Fire Fist Ace and Whitebeard, the Strongest Man in the World. All around the world, people celebrated the Marines' victory, filled with nothing but hope for the future. But when Makino heard the news, she fled upstairs to her room, flung herself on the bed and cried. Ace, the boy she'd seen grow up and set sail to seek his fortune, was gone, his brother missing and badly wounded. The tears came thick and fast at the thought of Luffy's pain, the agony he must have felt at seeing his beloved brother die. To make matters worse, Luffy himself was nowhere to be found; the Straw Hat Pirates had been scattered, and no one knew if the boy was dead or alive. Outside in the street, Dadan continued to hurl abuse and curses at Garp, who accepted them stoically and did not retaliate. The old man's usual smirk was gone, his face contorted in agony as old enemies grieved their loss together.

 _If only I could see him_ , she thought. _If only I could be of some comfort to Luffy… I can't even imagine how much pain he's in right now._

Darkness had fallen by the time the tears stopped, and Makino was fast asleep.

A gentle rapping on the bar's front door roused Makino from her restless slumber. It was late at night, and Makino carefully made her way to the front door, wielding a frying pan behind her back. She threw the pan away as soon as she opened the door and saw her redheaded captain, which clattered loudly to the floor. Shanks shot an amused glance at the discarded pan, before asking:

"Makino-san, can I come in?"

She stepped aside, blushing, and he took a seat at the bar. Makino lit one of the lamps as Shanks took in his surroundings pensively, chuckling softly to himself.

"It sure has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah…" Makino offered Shanks a bottle of sake, which he downed in one go. "How have you been, Shanks?"

"Ah well…" Shanks looked older, his stubble more pronounced, and he had slicked back his fringe, which had once fallen in waves across his scarred eye. "I trust you know what happened, I mean with Luffy and all."

"I did. Poor Luffy…" she felt a lump rising in her throat, but swallowed it and continued. "I heard what you did for Ace though, that was very good of you."

Shanks paused, the shadows playing over his rugged face. "I'm sorry I didn't get there in time to save him," he said at last. "I didn't even get to meet Luffy either, though part of me wishes I had."

"It doesn't matter. You did what you could."

Shanks leaned in towards her then, and even in the flickering lamplight, Makino was certain he could see her blush. "Thank you, Makino." The corners of his eyes crinkled into a smile. "You've always been so worried for us, for your boys."

"Yes, but…" Makino found herself as a teenage girl once more, stammering under the gaze of her childhood crush. "You've always been the one who inspired Ace and Luffy; you're the one who was there for them when they needed it. All I did was watch from the background."

"That's not true." He was so close now, close enough for her to smell the sake on his breath. "You supported them for years after I set out to sea. Even now, you feel so strongly for them that Luffy's pain has become your own. You really are a good person, Makino."

Overwhelmed by her emotions, Makino closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his with reckless abandon. Shanks started, but drew her closer with his remaining arm, pulling her into his lap. Breathing heavily, the two pulled apart and Shanks opened his mouth to speak, but Makino pressed a finger to his lips.

"You can warn me later. For now, this is fine." The redhead hesitated, but nodded and she took him by the hand and led him upstairs. His cloak settled on the floor, as did her shirt and trousers as the two reunited under a starry sky. Later, Shanks rolled over in bed to face her, suddenly serious.

"If we're going to do this, you have to know that I won't always be here," he began. "Now that Whitebeard is dead, there's a power vacuum in the New World, and things aren't going to settle for a very long time."

She responded by pecking him gently on the cheek. "I know that," she murmured. "It doesn't matter though, as long as we get to be together like this."

Shanks' expression settled into something softer, something tender. "I'll do my best to protect you," he promised. "I won't let anything bad happen."

"Of course you will," she smiled. "Didn't you say you would never allow anyone to hurt your friends?"

"I guess I did." The two sealed the promise with a kiss, holding one another in a rare moment of safety and peace.

* * *

The wedding was a tiny affair, completely unsuited to a pirate of his calibre, but no one voiced a complaint. Only the Mayor, and Shanks' inner circle were present, the pirates' wide grins contrasting with the Mayor's sour expression. Lucky Roo eagerly devoured plates of beef and chicken, while Beckmann, now silver-haired and wrinkled, indulged in tankards of beer and sake. Shanks had not even donned a suit for the occasion, turning up to his nuptials in sandals and a crumpled white shirt. Makino had never been one for formalities and was likewise dressed simply in a sky blue dress and her nicest flats. Gripping his wife's hand tightly, Shanks bounded over to a corner of the room to greet his old friend and rival.

"Hawky! Glad you were able to make it! This is Makino, say hello!" Makino found herself face to face with a tall, lean man with piercing golden eyes, his mouth set in a scowl of displeasure.

"N-Nice to meet you…" The man's expression did not change, but he inclined his head at her and addressed Shanks brusquely.

"Red-Hair. This is too casual, even for you," he chided, but there was no venom in his words. Shanks, unperturbed, shot the other man a grin.

"Sorry about that, Hawky, but I couldn't risk anything bigger. It's nice to see you take a break from being a government dog to come play, though!" Makino felt slightly alarmed at how casual her husband was behaving towards the World's Greatest Swordsman, but Mihawk seemed to pay his jibe little mind.

"Well?" Hawk-Eyes jerked his head towards Makino. "Is she aware of why I came?"

"Ah, right." Shanks scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. "Hawky has kindly agreed to help look after you and…Ace, just in case."

"That's right," Mihawk cut Shanks off abruptly. "Red-Hair has asked me to exploit my Warlord position and offer both of you safe harbour should anything happen to him." The hawk-eyed Warlord addressed Shanks. "How long?"

"Seven months, give or take."

Mihawk nodded and turned to leave. "I should be going," he explained. "Lest Roronoa lose his way in the castle again."

"See ya, Hawky!" Shanks grinned at him. "Good to see you again."

"Hmph." Before the older man disappeared out the door, he offered the newlyweds a small smile.

"Likewise. Congratulations, Red-Hair."

The Red Haired Pirates prepared to return to the New World the following day. Exchanging knowing glances, Shanks' crewmates filed out of the bar respectfully, giving the couple a brief moment alone. Makino stood in the empty bar, her husband's calloused hand clasped in both of hers.

"You're leaving," she said softly, but there was no bitterness or resentment in her voice.

"Yeah…" Shanks looked uncharacteristically glum. "I really didn't want to, but I heard rumours that Kaido was making a move."

"It's fine," Makino reassured him. "We'll be fine over here. And just think, in just over half a year, you'll get to meet Ace!"

Shanks' hand moved to rest protectively on her abdomen.

"I can't wait."

She reached forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close. Shanks ran his hand along her back, exhaling softly. The couple stayed locked in a tender embrace, as a dying sun painted the walls in shades of amber and russet. Finally, Shanks extracted himself from her arms with a dejected sigh.

"Take care of yourselves," he told her. "If anything happens, give Hawky a call. He'll help you out."

"Of course." Makino leaned in for a quick kiss. "Don't get into too much trouble, okay?"

"No promises." She saw the shadow of a grin on the redhead's face. He pressed his forehead to hers, softly caressing her cheek before pulling away once more. Reluctantly, he boarded his ship and the Red Haired Pirates set sail, the townspeople cheering in their wake just as they had done over a decade ago. Once the galleon disappeared out of sight, the Mayor hobbled to stand beside her, grumbling and frowning deeply.

"Hmph, who does that pirate think he is, leaving you alone like that? When I see his face again, I swear I'll…"

Makino giggled. "It's okay, really! He'll be back, I'm sure of it." She giggled like a little girl, remembering the last time the Red Haired Pirates had visited the village.

"He'll be back, won't he, Ace?"

* * *

Ace was born one humid summer night, his father thousands of miles away. Kept in check by the machinations of his fellow Emperors, Shanks could only listen helplessly over the den den mushi as Makino delivered their son. At the end of it all, she heard him weeping faintly in the background with equal parts happiness and frustration. Makino responded with a tired smile, and assured her husband that they would meet again soon. Hanging up the receiver, she cradled her child close and kissed his tuft of scarlet hair. Makino gazed out the window, into the distance, and dimly wondered if she and Shanks were watching the same sky, the stars like diamonds against a curtain of night.

Several days later, Makino was woken in the dead of night by the sound of Ace's crying. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she sat up in her bed, and immediately recoiled when she saw the silhouette of a man against her son's crib. The moonlight illuminated the harsh lines of his face, and she visibly relaxed.

"Oh, Hawk-Eyes. You scared me."

The Warlord did not respond, only looked down at the whimpering child in his arms. Slowly, he walked over and deposited Ace in his mother's lap. Stoic, sharp-tongued Mihawk seemed utterly lost when it came to handling the boy, and Makino hid a smile behind one hand as she gently rocked Ace to sleep.

"I came to check on you." He said at last. "I will let Red-Hair know that you are both well."

"Thank you." Makino stood up and laid her son in his crib. "Do you want a drink before you leave?"

Mihawk shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I will return to my island now." He climbed onto the windowsill, perched there gracefully like an oversized bird of prey. Before he could leap down from the second storey, Makino called out to him again.

"If…If it's not too much trouble, could you please look after Shanks for me? He means well, but he can be really reckless sometimes and- "

"Fine." Mihawk did not allow her to finish. "I know as well as you do how foolhardy he can be. As such, I will endeavour to keep him out of harm's way." The swordsman hesitated, as though he had just remembered something, and then spoke again. "However… A dangerous pirate known as Blackbeard is gaining power in the New World," he warned. "I expect that they will clash sometime in the near future. If that happens… I cannot guarantee that Red-Hair will ever be able to return here."

Makino swallowed nervously. It had occurred to her, the thought of Shanks dying somewhere in the Grand Line; he had many enemies after all. To hear his rival and ally speak so candidly about the possibility of his death, however, was a different matter entirely. Noticing the look of concern on her face, Mihawk attempted to assuage her worries:

"I have as much to lose from his death as you do," he said calmly. His tone was even, but his golden eyes burned with steadfast determination. "He is my only friend, and I will fight by his side when the time comes."

Tears sprang to Makino's eyes. "All I can do is support him from the sidelines. I can't be by his side the way you can," she lamented. "But I'll wait as long as it takes, for him to come back."

Mihawk looked away. "You make a good pair. I wish you both the best." With that, he hopped off the ledge to the ground below and melted into the darkness. Makino sat alone in her bed, silently staring at the ceiling. Memories slipped to the front of her consciousness and she closed her eyes, losing herself in her reminiscence.

"What's it like, being on the Grand Line?" Shanks looked up from his ale at the sound of Makino's question.

"Hmm…" he stroked the stubble on his chin. "It's hard to explain. There's all these different kinds of islands, there's a lot of pirates, and the navy's a lot more active than in the Blue seas."

"I've heard about that." Makino sat with her lover at the bar, enjoying a quiet drink before sunrise. "I've heard that there are islands where it's always winter, and there are people who breathe fire and fly through the sky."

The redhead chortled. "Yeah, it's a pretty weird place, let me tell you!" he took another swig of his drink. "You know…" he said slowly, "If ever someday things settle down for me, I'd love to take you there."

"Eh?" Makino had never truly considered leaving Foosha Village. The quiet little town was all she'd ever known, the East Blue and surrounding islands her world. It wasn't until she was reunited with Shanks that the Grand Line became a possibility, exciting and terrifying her in equal measure.

"It'd be an adventure!" Shanks sounded excited now, his face flushed from the alcohol. "I'll take you to Water Seven, and we can ride bulls through the streets! You've never been to a hot spring either, have you? One just opened in Alabasta, so we might want to visit there too!"

Makino considered his statement quietly. Nothing made Shanks more exhilarated than the prospect of adventuring with his comrades, and his eagerness to show her his world touched her more than she would admit. Yet there were too many things that stood in their way. Whitebeard's death had left the redhead as the sole benevolent Emperor, and Whitebeard's former allies had split into factions; those who sought shelter under Shanks' flag, and those who were bent on restoring their fleet's former glory. Day after day, Shanks and his men kept an eye on the Blackbeard Pirates, who now seemed near unstoppable, an ever-growing Marine threat, and a steady stream of super-rookies aiming to usurp his throne. There was hardly any room for her in all the chaos, and while Makino understood the gravity of the situation, his constant absences never failed to leave a deep ache within her chest.

"It's alright!" she put on a practised smile. "I don't need to go to the Grand Line. Foosha Village is my home, and I'd miss everyone if I left." Another half-truth. While it was true that Makino had friends on the island like Dadan and the Mayor, missing Shanks hurt like a wound, and often she would close her eyes and picture herself on board his ship, the wind in her hair and the laughter of Beckmann and Lucky Roo in the background.

"Makino…" Shanks immediately saw through her ruse. His grey eyes held a kind of heavy sorrow as he replied, "I know how hard it is for you, to be here all alone. That's why I've always said, you're more than I deserve."

"That's silly." She smiled through the tears blurring her vision. "I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world."

Shanks responded by drawing her in for a kiss, then gracing her with that wonderful smile of his. That smile conveyed what words could not, his gratitude and joy all at once. He was an Emperor, one of the strongest beings on the seas, but in the privacy of her little bar, he was hers and hers alone. She savoured the moment, memorising his scent of sake and a salty ocean breeze. Behind them, the sun crept along the horizon, bringing with it the promises of a new day.

* * *

Luffy returned home before Shanks did. Everyone in town gathered at the docks to see the spectacular Thousand Sunny, now the ship of the new Pirate King. The Mayor grumbled and complained, but even he could not resist giving the boy, now a man, a bone-crushing hug. Dadan and her troupe of bandits were there, the burly woman cursing her adoptive son as mucus and joyful tears streamed down her face. Upon seeing his old friend, Luffy strode up to Makino, who was carrying Ace in her arms. The Pirate King picked him up and gently pulled at his chubby cheeks, eliciting a disapproving look from his navigator.

"He's so cute, Makino!" Luffy laughed out loud as Ace reached out and grasped one of his fingers. "Looks just like Shanks too! He's going to be a great pirate someday; I just know it!"

"Idiot! As if we want more hooligans coming from this village like you!" scolded the mayor, but no one took any notice. Makino smiled at Luffy, remembering the days when he, as a child, would sit at her bar and drink juice, the Red Haired Pirates scoffing at his childishness. He was grown now, and had brought about irreversible changes in the world, just as his idol would have wished for. Her heart ached at the thought of Shanks, trapped in the New World settling territory disputes, but she put on a brave face for her friend.

"It's so good to see you again, Luffy! Now come in and I'll serve all of you drinks."

"Yay! I'd like a sweet drink please!" the little reindeer was the first to scuttle into the bar through Makino's legs, and she jerked back slightly in surprise.

"Can't wait to have some sake." The green haired swordsman smirked and strode in after him.

"I'll have some milk, yohohoho!"

"Cola for me! Suuuuuper!"

One by one, the Straw Hat Pirates entered the bar, joining in the villagers' merrymaking. As he walked past her to join his crew, Makino heard Luffy speak in a low voice.

"It's okay, Makino. Shanks will be back soon, he promised."

The light gleamed off his straw hat, the one Shanks had entrusted him all those years ago. Makino set her shoulders and clenched her fists resolutely.

"You're right. For now, Luffy, let's celebrate your homecoming!"

* * *

As soon as the Red Haired Pirates' sail appeared against the skyline, Makino raced towards the pier, her heart pounding in her chest. Shanks stood at the bow, his magnificent scarlet hair stark against a cloudless sky. Upon seeing his wife, he sprang from the deck, landing on his feet before her. The two faced each other, unsure of how to express a year's worth of longing, of worry and hope. Taking a deep breath, Shanks broke the tension, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly.

"Sorry I'm late," he said at last. "I know I kept you both waiting."

Then there it was. Her smile. The smile that brightened even the darkest of days, the sunshine in her sky. Makino allowed her emotions to overtake her then, flinging herself at him with a strangled sob. Shanks stroked her ivy coloured hair tenderly, then grinned at the sight of Dadan behind her, who had emerged bearing Ace. Tucking the child securely in the crook of his arm, the young family lingered on the docks, laughing, crying and exchanging gentle promises. Promises of new adventures, of a new home lingered on the tip of Shanks' tongue, but he contented himself with drowning in her scent, the slight curve of her hips, the softness of her lips. In the not-so distant future, he would take them to live on an island in the Grand Line, with a magnificent and well-stocked bar. He would bring Makino to the amusement park on Sabaody, where they would ride the rollercoaster and kiss on the apex of the Ferris wheel. He would give her a proper wedding, where she would wear a dress fit for the Pirate Empress, and there would be a cake made by the finest chefs from Totland. But all that could wait, for now.

He was home at last.

 **A/N: And it's done at last! I hope you enjoyed reading, leave a review and let me know what you thought! This story is a tie-in to my other fic Hurricane, which focuses more on the Shanks-Mihawk friendship, but contains hints of ShanksxMakino. Check it out if you have time!**


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